Objective: To summarize and analyze the etiology and clinical features of optic neuropathy with visual field defect of central scotoma as a reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Methods: In the retrospective case study, the data of patients admitted in Neuro-ophthalmic Department of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center of Sun Yat-sen University from August 2018 to March 2020, who presented with visual field defect of central scotoma and were followed up for more than 1 year, were analyzed. Both eyes of all the patients underwent best corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, slit lamp microscope and front mirror, spectral domain optical coherence tomography, humphry visual field tests and MRI of brain and orbit. We examined the blood routine, biochemical test, renal and liver function, infection indicators (hepatitis B, hepatitis C, syphilis, HIV and tuberculosis T-spot), mitochondrial DNA and OPA1 gene detection of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy. The follow-up time of the patients in neuro-ophthalmic department was more than 1 year. Results: A total of 20 patients were recruited. Among them, the etiological diagnosis consisted of 9 patients of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (45%), 2 of dominant optic atrophy (10%), 6 of ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy (30%), 2 of nutritional optic neuropathy (10%) and 1 of idiopathic demyelinating optic neuropathy (5%). The patients with hereditary optic neuropathy showed a poorer visual prognosis, especially Leber hereditary optic neuropathy, with 78% of follow-up visual acuity (≥1 year) not higher than 0.1. The visual prognosis of ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy patients with mtDNA or OPA1 gene was poor. Conclusions: The optic neuropathy of visual field defects with central scotoma includes mainly hereditary, toxic and nutritional optic neuropathy. Hereditary optic neuropathy is characterized by incomplete penetrance, and genetic testing is required to exclude hereditary optic neuropathy if the visual field is the central scotoma.
